Hayden Panettiere’s father has spoken out following the release of 911 dispatch audio from the day the actress died.
Skip Panettiere, the father of Hayden Panettiere, 36, issued a statement through the actress’s publicist, Kasey Kitchen, after his daughter was found dead at Judson Mill Lofts in Greenville, South Carolina, on Sunday. Emergency services were called to the residence just after 1:50 p.m. Following a 911 call placed by an acquaintance of the “Heroes” star, according to the Greenville Police Department. Paramedics attempted to revive Panettiere using advanced cardiac life support, but she was pronounced dead at the scene at 2:32 p.m., roughly 40 minutes after the call.
“It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden,” Skip Panettiere said in his statement. “She was an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her — and to the millions who watched her onscreen.”
The grieving father added a request for privacy as the family processed what he called “this unimaginable loss.”
Dispatch audio obtained by multiple outlets captured the frantic moments as emergency responders coordinated their response. In the recording, officials can be heard discussing an “overdose” and “cardiac arrest” while directing personnel to the loft residence. An EMT reported that “CPR is in progress” upon arrival at the scene. The identity of the friend who placed the 911 call has not been publicly released, and it remains unclear whether Brian Hickerson, Panettiere’s on-again, off-again boyfriend, was involved in making the call.
The Greenville Police Department issued its own statement confirming the timeline and circumstances. “Officers, accompanied by EMS personnel, responded to a report of an unresponsive female at around 1:50 p.m. Sunday,” the department said. “Upon arrival, medical assistance was administered; however, the individual, later identified as Hayden Panettiere, was pronounced deceased at the scene.”
The police statement continued with an assurance that investigators had found no immediate evidence of wrongdoing. “The case is under investigation by the Greenville Police Department in conjunction with the Greenville County Coroner’s Office. The preliminary investigation has not indicated any signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances. An acquaintance of Ms. Panettiere placed the 911 call.”
Kitchen, the actress’s publicist, confirmed to NBC News that an investigation was ongoing and that more information would likely emerge. “There’s an investigation ongoing,” Kitchen said. “We should know more tomorrow.”
In the viral moment that defined the final years of her life, Panettiere had become increasingly open about her struggles with substance abuse and mental health. At 15, she was offered “happy pills” before red carpet appearances, she revealed in a 2022 interview with People magazine. “They were to make me peppy during interviews. I had no idea that this was not an appropriate thing, or what door that would open for me when it came to my addiction,” she said.
Panettiere also spoke candidly about her battle with postpartum depression following the birth of her daughter, Kaya, with then-fiancé Wladimir Klitschko in December 2014. In October 2015, she checked into a rehab facility and spent eight months receiving treatment for alcohol and drug addiction. She later wrote in her 2026 autobiography, “This Is Me: A Reckoning,” that she had been warned she could be dead within five years if she did not stop drinking.
The actress’s death came just over two years after her younger brother, Jansen Panettiere, died at age 28 from a heart condition. She had spoken publicly about the challenges of maintaining sobriety while grieving his loss.
The Greenville County Coroner’s Office is expected to conduct an autopsy to determine the official cause and manner of death.